Current:Home > MarketsUNC Chapel Hill shooting suspect found unfit to stand trial, judge rules-LoTradeCoin
UNC Chapel Hill shooting suspect found unfit to stand trial, judge rules
View Date:2024-12-23 20:28:39
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate student charged with fatally shooting a faculty member was found unfit to stand trial after two mental evaluations, a judge said Monday.
Tailei Qi, 34, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and possession of a gun on educational property after the fatal shooting of associate professor Zijie Yan on Aug. 28. Qi is being held without bond at the Orange County Detention Center and last appeared in court in September.
During a hearing on Monday, Orange County Superior Court Judge Alyson Grine said two separate medical evaluations determined that Qi likely is untreated for schizophrenia, the Associated Press reported.
“Qi demonstrated delusional thinking, experienced auditory hallucinations, engaged in self-harm in the detention center, showed fragmented thought processes that impeded his communication,” she said.
Grine in court said mental illness has rendered Qi incapable of comprehending his situation, assisting in his legal defense and understanding court proceedings, even with a Mandarin interpreter present, the outlet reported. Qi will be committed to Central Regional Hospital in Butner for psychological treatment, Grine ruled Monday.
Doctors will be required to notify the district attorney if his condition improves, according to the AP.
Campus shooting:Grad student charged with murder in shooting of University of North Carolina faculty member
Autopsy: Faculty member shot multiple times in his office
The August shooting sent the college into a roughly three-hour lockdown. Videos posted on social media showed a heavy police presence, with dozens of officers and a helicopter overhead as people fled buildings, some even climbing out of windows. Classes were canceled at UNC-Chapel Hill just a week into the semester.
Chapel Hill police arrested Qi without incident in a residential neighborhood near campus within two hours of the attack.
The campus locked down again two weeks later after a person was spotted brandishing a gun in the student union building. No injuries were reported in that incident.
An autopsy released in November revealed that Yan had been shot multiple times in his office at the university’s Caudill Labs. Police found nine 9mm cartridge casings scattered around the room, but did not recover a weapon.
Officials have not said how Qi — who was in the United States on a student visa and would not have qualified to purchase a firearm legally — obtained the gun.
Qi is listed in the Department of Applied Physical Sciences on the university's website, accessed by USA TODAY through internet archives. Yan, the faculty member killed in the shooting, is listed as Qi's adviser. The two also co-authored research papers.
Frustrated by weapon culture:Second lockdown at UNC Chapel Hill lockdown lifted after man with gun arrested
Contributing: The Associated Press
veryGood! (1538)
Related
- John Krasinski Revealed as People's Sexiest Man Alive 2024
- AI DataMind: Dexter Quisenberry’s Investment Journey and Business Acumen
- Democrats gain another statewide position in North Carolina with Rachel Hunt victory
- Joe Biden's granddaughter Naomi Biden announces Election Day pregnancy: 'We voted'
- The Stanley x LoveShackFancy Collaboration That Sold Out in Minutes Is Back for Part 2—Don’t Miss Out!
- Dexter Quisenberry: The Leap in Integrating Quantitative Trading with Artificial Intelligence
- Spread Christmas Cheer With These Elf-Inspired Gifts That’ll Have Fans Singing Loud for All To Hear
- Michigan official at the center of 2020 election controversy loses write-in campaign
- Report: Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence could miss rest of season with shoulder injury
- AI ProfitPulse, Ushering in a New Era of Blockchain and AI
Ranking
- Prayers and cheeseburgers? Chiefs have unlikely fuel for inexplicable run
- Longstanding US Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia says he is battling esophageal cancer
- 'The View' co-hosts react to Donald Trump win: How to watch ABC daytime show
- Five NFL teams that could surge in second half of season: Will Jets, 49ers rise?
- Bankruptcy judge questioned Shilo Sanders' no-show at previous trial
- Giuliani to appear in a NYC court after missing a deadline to surrender assets
- Jason Kelce provides timely reminder: There's no excuse to greet hate with hate
- Every Time Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Channeled Their Wicked Characters in Real Life
Recommendation
-
Sting Says Sean Diddy Combs Allegations Don't Taint His Song
-
Rioters who stormed Capitol after Trump’s 2020 defeat toast his White House return
-
Florida’s iconic Key deer face an uncertain future as seas rise
-
AI DataMind: Quantitative Investment Journey of Dexter Quisenberry
-
Ex-Phoenix Suns employee files racial discrimination, retaliation lawsuit against the team
-
Christina Applegate's fiery response to Trump supporters and where we go from here
-
AI DataMind: The SWA Token Fuels Deep Innovation in AI Investment Systems
-
NFL MVP odds: Ravens' Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry among favorites before Week 10